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Now I'm fairly certain there are a lot more road trips planned that just my own. Regardless, my other half and I want to enjoy our first ever 'brand new car' together and have decided our summer jaunt is going to be taking the vRS to Europe for a 2 week trip. Travelling every other day, to give us at least a day in each destination to do a bit of touristy stuff if necessary!

 

The plan is currently as follows;

 

Day 1 - Long trek, Calais to Alsace (France)

Day 3 - To Bavaria (Germany) via B500

Day 5 - To Kitzbuhel (Austria) probably via Bertchesgaden

Day 7 - To Lake Bled (Slovenia)

Day 9 - To Lake Garda (Italy)

Day 11 - To Lucerne (Switzerland)

Day 12 - To Metz (France, need to get the dog wormed 24hrs before back to UK)

Day 13 - To Lille, for overnight stop before early train to Folkestone

 

Please feel free to critique my route, only the tunnel is booked at the minute. Only stipulation is that we have a dog!

 

Looking for;

 

  • Things to do
  • roads to drive (and roads to avoid!)
  • top tips for European driving (I'm not a complete novice, but this'll be the first 'road trip')
  • top tips for touring in general

 

Cheers

First Route.PNG

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We did something similar last summer in my Cayman.  Although, we went down into Italy rather than Slovenia.  We mixed it up a bit, in terms of 3 nights in some places, 1 night in others. Our itinerary was roughly:-

 

Calais to Stuttgart - we went through Belgium and across/down through Germany.  This avoided the French toll roads and gives you more autobahn.  It also takes you past the Nurburgring, which is a short detour off the autobhan.  I didn't drive it, but worth seeing if you are in the vicinity and haven't been before.

Stuttgart to Schwangau - to see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria

Schwangau to Lake Garda - via Timmlesjoch pass. 

Lake Garda to Tuscany

Tuscany to Amalfi Coast - Amalfi coast is the worst possible place to drive a car that you remotely care about, can't believe mine came out unscathed

Amalfi coast to Siena

Siena to Lake Como - on the whole I preferred Como to Garda, a bit less commercial and beautiful.

Lake Como to Verbier - via a very long route that took in a couple of passes

Verbier to Alsace

Alsace to Calais - this can easily be done in a day

 

Let me know if you want any more info on places we went/hotels

 

Tips, you will need to buy a yearly pass to use the Swiss motorways, think it was about £60.  Getting around Switzerland takes a lot longer than I was expecting, as the speed limits are low and none of the roads (even motorways) are very direct due to the terrain.  This caught us out after Germany and Italy where you can cover big distances quickly.  Autobhans in Germany are an interesting experience, not all of it is de-restricted, but you really need to have your wits about you.  It takes massive concentration as some vehicles are travelling at high speeds, and if you want to drive quickly whilst safely you need to be very careful, always looking for vehicles pulling out, or slowing in case they do.  I saw 150mph on my speedo on a very empty stretch, but the concentration needed it makes it tiring.  Much nicer to cruise at 90-100mph and better fuel economy.  Be very careful speeding in France, they can time you between pay booths and I have received a warning in the past.

 

It looks like you have the right idea of getting through the boring bits of France as quickly as possible.  Better spending time in the more interesting locations.

 

 

Edited by JackReacher
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Overtaking when on a motorway, pulling out, your nearside mirror doesn't give you sufficient view, a quite significant blind spot. Make sure the left mirror shows the maximum amount of road and just a minimum amount of car. Hopefully you won't get warned by an irate local motorist with a blast of their horn. I speak from experience.....

 

I have no qualms about driving in Europe but you have have your wits about you and every country has slightly different driving rules and regulations.....

Edited by threadbear
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Be careful on the Swiss motorways.

The speed limit is lower than the rest of Europe (120kph) and they regularly have fixed & mobile cameras on the highway.

They are never marked like in the UK & are often hidden behind signs, bushes, bridges or blended in with other equipment.

 

The motorway toll is 40CHf which is only 30Gbp with the exchange rate these days.

 

If you have time I would recommend taking one of the mountain passes over the alps into Switzerland instead of just driving through the tunnel.

Lucerne is a nice city but I really like the Swiss mountain chalet lifestyle here so as an alternative you could stay 1 night in one of the ski resorts (like Verbier or Saas Fe etc).

Most are now fully open throughout the summer for hikers, climbers & mountain biking & its perhaps nicer for the dog to be able to run around in the countryside.

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  • 1 month later...

This is all booked now and has largely stayed as it was except we are now going to Reims instead of Metz for the dog deworming.

 

Thanks for all the advice and tips so far. As far as I'm aware the only vignette I need is for Switzerland - is that right? The other countries we are doing are France (which is pay as you go), Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia.

 

Also - I've heard a few silly rules that can catch people out, such as Dashcams are not allowed in Austria? Are there any more random laws that I may fall foul of?

Edited by bilhound
Edited to add in what I forgot to write in the first one!
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To use the Autobahn in Austria there is also a vignette required for some roads:
http://www.austria.info/uk/service-facts/getting-there-around/austria-by-road

http://www.asfinag.at/toll/toll-sticker/

€9 for 10-day pass which works out a lot cheaper than the payages in France.

 

Italy also has pay-as-you-go tolls for most motorways.

 

Germany is free from tolls (& speed limits in some places!)

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Carrying breath testers is compulsory in France  plus fire extinguisher plus fluorescent jackets for all occupants  and maybe even a first aid kit ,car registration doc and insurance cert

 and bulb kit. Sat navs must not detect or show locations of speed cameras. The French do have large signs warning of votre securite - that's what you get shortly before the camera. AA can advise country by country, but I think thay covers most of it. 

Edited by gregoir
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France has introduced a compulsory "Crit'Air" sticker for some towns including Paris and Lyons, with plans to extend it to other towns over the next 3 years. Since the Autoroute de Sud goes through the middle of Lyons this MIGHT make the Crit'Air certificate needed on the A6 - but I haven't been able to find anywhere to confirm or deny this.

 

https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/

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I've just done a similar route on my motorcycle, to fully enjoy the roads leave the dog at home :D drop into the nurburgring for a lap as well, it runs the new car in great, I did it with mine :D

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The autoroutes in France are great, well worth paying for, but keep to the speed limit. Also always stop at the proper services, the picnic spots (L'aire) tend to have gross toilets. I've found it better to Autoroute down to Metz, than go through Belgium and Luxembourg, which seem to have very congested motorways, lots of queuing.

Stop off at the Nurburgring, even if its only for a passenger lap, also consider the Audi Forum at Ingolstadt, and BMW welt (world) at Munich, well worth a visit, you can book both online. Also in Germany if you stay in the city centre in a Green zone, you will need an Umwelt Plaquette (Environment rating sticker) http://www.environmental-badge.co.uk/en/environmental-badge.html

Autobahns are more restricted than we think, most are 130kph max speed, a lot are only double lane also, so the inside lane is just rammed with trucks, can get very congested at peak times with Stau's (Queues).

Also consider Prague, only 1hr 30 from Nuremberg in the motorway, passes Plzen (Pilsen) also the home of Pilsner Urquell lager, brewery tour is recommended, also get to see some of Czech Republic where your car came from.

 

I'd recommend having privacy glass and blinds as it gets mighty hot around lunchtime and early afternoon, even with the climate control on. The poor dog will roast in the back. We used to try and travel early morning 6-7 am and then stop around 2pm. I would not take the dog.

 

 

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green sticker in Germany, tolls in Austria and Switzerland. Italy is PAYG, as is France. 

 

Stick to the speed limit. Kill the speed camera warner, it's illegal in France, and I'd turn the dashcam off as it's illegal in Belgium as well. 

 

My personal suggestion for the Autobahn is to remember your lane discipline - it's slower traffic on the right. You'll be fine but you'll need to stay awake. I find it hard work trying to keep speeds above 160km/h for any length of time, you're constantly speeding up and slowing down.

 

 - Bret

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And miss Croatia? Bro big mistake! Go to Croatia and go to Adriatic coast! Go take a swim get some sun tane! Plus on Croatian motor roads you can drive 150-160 km/h with other traffic and not get puled over for speeding. B) Plus beautiful country. From Slovenia got to Ljubljana and then Zagreb -> Zadar (stop in Plitvice lakes), Zadar -> Split (stop on Krka lakes) and on way back Rijeka maybe Pula and back to Trieste in Italy.

Trust me you will se more in Croatia than other countries. Croatia has lots of diversity! In land is like in Austria, shore is Like Italy/Greece plus lots of history and sights to see.

Edited by Croat
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Croatia is very nice, words of support for my neighbor, but I understood the trip is already booked.

 

We could actually make a small gathering of Škoda owners in the lake of Bled, Slovenia, eat traditional Creampie "Krempita" with double espresso and take a look on the lake, talk about cars in person. Good strategic location, reachable by anybody in Europe. This is absolutely fantastic destination, nature, two magnificent caves of world importance, not to be missed by anyone living in Europe.

 

 

 

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On 28/06/2017 at 17:45, Auric Goldfinger said:

Brush up on your " International Hand Signals "  Most Motorists including the Germans know what " One Finger " means.   :finger:

 

After Brexit I think one finger will change to two 

 

 

**  Other hand signals and fingers are available  **

 

If you get caught using hand signals in Germany you'll be in trouble Mr Gold'middle'finger...

 

Do do not flash people to let them pull into your lane or from a junction as this will create a whole world of confusion, as it is universally regarded as get out of my way...oh and also gets you into trouble in Germany...

 

Only indicate as you exit roundabout, not as you approach it...

 

Avoid driving in Belgium during rush hours or in the rain... 2 second rule = gap for at least 2 cars to push in / undertake!!!

 

Benelux countries now share info with DVLA so you will have a wad of speeding tickets waiting for you if you  if you do not obey limits - average speed cameras, very strict limits...

 

Try arriving in Europe at about 1900 hrs, so the first few hours getting the hang of driving over there are on quiet roads...

 

Whilst Autobahns are a novelty, not very well lit at night, no cats-eyes, no reflective paint for lines... Don't speed in road works or at reduced limits near major junctions in Germany...

 

Also agree with others; whilst Nurburgring is a great bucket list item, make sure you are correctly insured if you use own car.  Cochem (approx) 30 mins from Nurburgring in Mosel valley is worth a visit and the roads are nice to drive on too. 

 

Cheapest fuel in Europe is generally in Luxembourg.

Edited by Black_Sheep
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On ‎27‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 17:52, SWBoy said:

France has introduced a compulsory "Crit'Air" sticker for some towns including Paris and Lyons, with plans to extend it to other towns over the next 3 years. Since the Autoroute de Sud goes through the middle of Lyons this MIGHT make the Crit'Air certificate needed on the A6 - but I haven't been able to find anywhere to confirm or deny this.

 

https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/

Hope I have done this correctly but a PITA to cut the scan down to the maximum size band remain legible. Two B&W eventually. Only €4.80 at present.

The form seemed repetitious and wanted my personal details several times.

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12 hours ago, gregoir said:

Hope I have done this correctly but a PITA to cut the scan down to the maximum size band remain legible. Two B&W eventually. Only €4.80 at present.

The form seemed repetitious and wanted my personal details several times.

I had the same problem reducing the V5 to a small enough size but keeping it legible. It was obviously OK as I've got my Crit'Air sticker.

 

The form does keep asking for the same information over & over again - not a great piece of form writing by whoever did it...

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The installation video shows it must be on the right hand side, from the drivers view point. This is not good from the drivers vision angle.:sweat: Can us RHS drive people get away with fitting it on the LHS?:wondering:

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1 hour ago, gregoir said:

The installation video shows it must be on the right hand side, from the drivers view point. This is not good from the drivers vision angle.:sweat: Can us RHS drive people get away with fitting it on the LHS?:wondering:

Yes, they department have said in reply to a question from ANO that it's OK for RHD cars to position the sticker at the bottom LHS of the windscreen, which is where I have positioned it.

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